Assigm



(No Model.) 2 She e t S Sheet 1.

J. D. SCHOFIELD.

' COMBINED CORN AND COTTON PLANTER. i No. 388,452. Patented Aug. 28,1888.

witwaooco, Swveniloz N4 PETERS. mam-umo n her, Washhgmn. B, c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.v

J. D. S'OHOPIELD.

COMBINED CORN AND COTTON PLANTBR.

No. 388,452. PatentedAug. 28, 1888.

Jaltt, I

N, PETERS whowmhugra mruwamm 'w. 04 c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

JAMES DROMMON D SOHOFIELD, OF RODGERS, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES P.

- REED, OF SAME PLACE.

COMBINED CORN AND COTTON PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,452, dated August28, 1.888.

Application filed March 29, 1888.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES DROMMOND SenoFIELn, a citizen of the UnitedStates, re sldlng at Rodgers, in the county of Bell and State of Texas,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Combined Corn and CottonPlanters, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to an improvement in combined cotton and cornplanters and it conslsts in the peculiar construction and combination ofdevices that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a combinedcotton and corn planterembodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a top planview of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view ofthe same, taken on the line x a: of Fig.2. Fig. 4. 1s a verticaltransverse sectional view taken on the line a: x ofFig. 1. Fig. 5 is adetail view of the seed-wheel.

A represents a pair of side beams, which have their frontends connectedby a cross-bar, B, and have their rear ends connected by the right andleft hand threaded bolt-rod O, which extends through aligned openings inthe beams, and is provided with clamping-nuts D, that bear against theinner and outer sides of the beam. The rear ends of the beams are turneddownward to form standards E, and coveringshgvels F are secured to thefeet of said stand ar s.

G represents a pair. of depending flanges or bearings, which are securedto the beams A, near the front end thereof, and in said bearings isjournaled a shaft, H, to the center of which is secured asupporting'wheel, I. To one end of the said shaft is secured a pulley,K.

L represents a hopper, which is secured be tween the beams A,at asuitable distance from the rear ends thereof, and is provided with thefront and rear inclined downwardly-converging walls M,as shown. Thefront portion of the bottom of the hopper is perfectly flat orhorizontal, as at N, and the rear portion of the bottom of the hopper iscylindrical in shape, as at O.

P represents a standard, which depends from the lower front side of thehopper and extends Serial No. $168,819. (No model.)

. forwardly. On the rear side of thesaidstandard is arranged aseedspout, R, which is preferably made of sheet metal bent in the formhere shown. The lower end of the said spout has a boot, S, through whichthe lower end of the standard extends, and said boot'and said spout areadapted to move vertically on the said standard. The sides of the bootare provided with the inclined slots T,and clampingbolts U engage thesides of the boots and extend through the said slots and through thestandards, the function of the said bolts being to secure the boot onthe seed spout atany desired adjustment.

V represents a pair of brace-rods which connect the spout R to the sidebeams, A. To the front side of the boot S is secured a furrowopening,\V.

X represents a shaft, which is journaled in a pair of bearings, Y, thatdepend from the hopper. To the center of this shaft is rigidly secured aseed-wheel, Z, which is provided with peripheral seed cups ordepressions A and with projecting peripheral teeth B. The upper side ofthis seed-wheel projects through a central openingyO, in the curvedportion of the bottom of the hopper, the front portion of the saidseed-wheel being arranged over the upper end of the seed-spout R.

D represents a semicircular cut-off plate, which is centrally pivotedupon the shaft X, and bears against one side of the seed-wheel. Saidsemicircular plate extends through the opening 0, and is provided with acurved flange, E, which extends over the peripheral teeth of theseed-wheel when the said plate is in the position shown in solid linesof Fig. 3, and when the seed-plate is in the position shown in dottedlines in the said figure said curved flange uncovers the said peripheralteeth, as will be readily understood. A rigid plate, E depends from therear side of the hopper, and bears against the opposite side of thesemicircular plate D, and said plate E has a curved slot, F.

G represents a spindle or bolt, which projects from the curved plate andextends through said slot, and is provided with a clampingnut, H, bymeans of which said curved plate may be secured in any desired position.

To one end of the shaft X is rigidly secured a pulley, I.

K represents a shaft, which is journaled in the side walls of the hopperat a suitable distance in advance of the shaft X, the said shaft K beingarranged over the lower flat portion of the bottom of the hopper, andsaid shaft is provided with a series of radial stirring-arms, L. To oneend of the shaft K is secured a pulley, M, which is somewhat smallerthan the pulley I.

N represents an endless belt, which connects the pulleys K, M, and 1,and imparts rotary motion of the supporting-wheel to the shafts K and Xwhen the machine is drawn forward. 7

0 represents an arm, which depends from one of the beams A, and isprovided at its lower end with a guide pulley or sheave, 1?, over whichthe lower portion of the endless belt passes.

R represents a pair of handles, which are similar to plow-handles, havetheir lower front ends secured to opposite sides of the side beams, andare braced in position by means of standards S, the lower ends of whichare secured on the ends of the boltrod O.

The operation of my invention is as follows: WVhen the machine is to beused for planting corn, the curved plate D is turned so as to cause itscurved flange E to cover the peripheral teeth on the upper side of theseedwheel. As the machine is driven in straight lines across thefleld,the furrow-opener opens thefurrow, the revolving seed-wheelcollects grains of corn in its peripheral seed cups or depressions anddischarges the same at regular distances into the seed-furrow. Thecover1ng-plows serve to cover the corn in the furrow, thereby completingthe operation of planting the same. In order to prevent the seeds fromadhering in the seed-cups or recesses, a spring or brush,a,isemployed,which has its lower end secured to the bottom side of thehopper, the upper end of said spring bearing against the periphery ofthe seed wheel or disk, and being thereby adapted to enter each seed-cupor depression in succession, so as to dislodge the seeds therefrom andprevent an excess. When it is desired to plant the corn at longerintervals, the pulley M is removed from the shaft K and secured to theshaft 1, and the pulley K is removed from the shaft H and secured to theshaft K, thereby causing the shaft X to be driven at a slower rate ofspeed, as will be readily understood. When it is desired to plantcotton-seed, the curved plate D is turned and secured so as to cause itscurved flange E to uncover the peripheral teeth of the seed-wheel. Theshaft K is in constant rotation while the machine is in operation, andits arms L serve to stir and agitate the cottonseeds in the hopper andprevent the same from becoming lodged, and the peripheral teeth of theseed-wheel engage said cottonseeds and force the same through theopening in the bottom of the hopper into the seed-spout,when they fallinto the furrow and are covered, as before. The function of thevertically-adjustable foot on the standard is to adapt the furrow-openerto be raised or lowered and caused to operate in the ground at anydesired depth.

By means of the bolt rod,which connects the rear ends of beams and theclamping-nuts on the said bolt-rod, the rear ends of said beams may bespread apart or brought near together, so as to cause thecovering-shovels to operate in the ground at any desired distance apart.The said beams A are made of steel, in order to give them sufficientelasticity to enable them to be thus adjusted laterally, and this alsorenders the frame of the machine stronger and more durable.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination, in aplanter,of the hopper, the seed-wheel extending into the bottom of thehopper and having the peripheral seed cups or depressions and theperipheral projecting teeth, means, substantially as set forth, torotate the said scedwheel, and the plate D, having the curved flange E,adapted to cover or uncover the peripheral teeth on the upper side ofthe seed-wheel,whereby the machine maybe used for planting either cornor cotton, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in aplanter,of a hopper, the revolving shaft Ktherein,having the stirring-arms L, the revolving shaft X, arrangedunder the bottom of the hopper, the seedwheel secured to said shaft,having the seed cups or depressions and the peripheral projectingteeth,the upper side of said seed-wheel extending through an opening inthe bottom of the hopper, and the cut-off plate D, having the flange E,adapted to cover or uncover the peripheral teeth of the seed-wheel, forthe pn r pose set forth, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in planter, of the hopper, the revoluble sced'wheelextending into the bottom of the same and having the pe ripheral seedcups or depressions and the pe ripheral projecting teeth, and the plateD on the aXis of the seed-wheel and having the curved segmental flangeE, extending over the seed-wheel, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a planter, of the standard P, the boot inclosingthe lower end of said standard and having the slots T, the boltextending through the said standard en gaging the said slots and havingthe clamping-nuts to secure the boot at any desired vertical adjustmenton the standard, said boot having the furrowppeuer, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination, in a planter, ofahopper having the bottom providedwith the lower flat portion, N, and the curved portion 0, and providedwith the bottom opening, 0, the shaft K, revolving in the hopper overthe flat portion thereof and having the radial stirringarms, therevolving shaft X, having the seed wheel provided with the peripheralseed cups ICC 0r depressions and with the peripheral teeth, I11testimony that Ielaim the foregoing as my said seed-wheel having itsupper side extendown I have hereto aflixed mysignaturein pres-' ingthrough the opening 0, and the plate D, ence of two witnesses.

having the curved flange E, adapted to cover JAMES DROMMOND SCHOFIELD. 5or uncover the peripheral teeth of the upper Witnesses: side of theseed-wheel, substantially as de- J. P. REED.

W. T. BROOKER.

scribed.

